dpgmel

Watched Andre De Toth's excellent little WWII spy film "The Two Headed Spy" a real tour de force for Jack Hawkins, a little known film which is a great shame. Also features an apperance by a ( very ) young Michael Caine

Joe Fraguela

Last evening I decided I would have another 1967 night switching from Saturday to Sunday instead.

Starting off with the final episode of Dr Who & The Tomb of the Cyberman, first broadcasted in September 1967. Patrick Troughton plays the 2nd Doctor with his assistants Jamie, played by Frazer Hines and Victoria played by Deborah Watling. The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria arrive on Telos, where an archaeological group are exploring the Tomb of the Cybermen.

Klieg and Kaftan order the hatch to be open, Toberman who has been part cybernised appears with another Cyberman. The cyberman needs to re-charge his power cells. The cybermen are eventually defeated and the tomb is then re-sealed with the help of Toberman who is then electrified to the door of the tomb. The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria say their goodbyes and head off in the Tardis. For me, one of the best stories in the histoy of Dr Who to date.

Following on was an episode of Adam Adamant Lives, broadcasted in January 1967. Gerald Harper plays Adam Adamant aided by Juliet Harmer as Georgina Jones and Jack May as Simms his Valet. The episode is entitled Black Echo and also stars Gladys Cooper, Judy Parfitt, Donald Eccles, Peter Bathurst, Peter Ducrow, Trevor Baxter, Brian Gilmar, Mo Kiki and Kenneth Ives.

Adam is asked by the Bank of England to investigate the claims of the Grand Duchess Vorokhov played by Gladys Cooper regarding her authenticity and hence her right to a £150million fortune. A highly enjoyable episode.

Following on as there are limited televised recordings of music from 1967, I decided to dig out some more 45's from my vast collection. The songs playing on the turntable were:-

Billy Forrest - Hello Lover (Decca label); The Gants - Greener Days (Liberty label); Billie Davis - Angel of the Morning (Decca label); Georgie Fame - Because I Love You (CBS label); Billy Fury - Suzanne in the Mirror (Parlophone label); Lesley Dawson - Run For Shelter (Mercury label); The Crocheted Doughnut Ring - Azalea & Rhododendran (Polydor label); The Rolling Stones - We Love You (Decca label); Jackie Edwards - Come Back Girl (Island label); The Darlings - Saturday Town (CBS label); The Move - I Can Hear The Grass Grow (Deram label); Freddie & The Dreamers - Brown & Porters Meat Exporters (Columbia label); Donovan - Mellow Yellow (Pye label); Episode 6 - Morning Dew (Pye label); Stevie Wonder - I Was Made to Lover Her (Tamla Motown label); Simon Dupree & The Big Sound - Kites (Parlophone label); The Foundations - Baby Now That I've Found You (Pye label); The Flowerpot Men - Let's Go To San Francisco (Deram label); Don and The Goodtimers - Happy & Me (Columbia label) and Lynn Redgrave - I'm So Young, from The Smashing Time Film LP Soundtrack (Stateside label).

Following on and rather aptly from the last tune, I watched Smashing Time starring Rita Tushingham, Lynn redgrave, Michael York, Ian Carmichael, Anna Qualye, Jeremy Lloyd, Murray Melvin, Toni Palmer, David Lodge, Irene Handl, Peter Jones, Mike Lennox, Arthur Mullard, George A Cooper, Ronnie Stevens and John Clive. Rita Tushingham & Lynn Redgrave play Brenda & Yvonne, two young women who arrive in London hoping and to make make it big in show business. A really amusing film capturing the spirit of Swinging London, has a very good Soundtrack, some amusing performances and great use of London locations.

Wrapping up last night's 1967 night was The Man Outside starring Van Heflin, Heidelinde Weiss, Peter Vaughan, Charles Gray, Ronnie Barker, Pinkas Braun, Paul Maxwell, Linda Marlowe, Gary Cockrell, Rita Webb, Willoughby Gray and Bill Nagy.

Van Heflin plays Bill MacLean, formerly of the CIA who has got himself involved with George Venaxas played by Ronnie Barker who wants to sell a Russian Spy named Rafe Machek, played by Pinkas Braun over to the Amercians. The Russians headed by Peter Vaughan are on to him, lots of double-dealings, and surprisingly a very good spy thriller film.

All in all a very entertaining and highly enjoyable evening.

Johnallan

I’ve always enjoyed watching this film with its familiar character actors/actresses and embryonic stars. For me, some of the funniest scenes are between Mr Bates (Hal Osmond) and his mother-in-law (Amy Veness) who lives under the same roof. Osmond was the archetypal British bit part character actor who normally had just one line to say in numerous films. But he gets something slightly meatier in this film and he certainly shows what he can do. His reaction when his mother-in law steals his sweets (still on wartime ration!) and then sucks them in front of his face is a gem.

batman

George Gently. An entertaining 90m, not as good as the first one but still better than a lot of the current drama output on the BBC (especially the dire Bonekickers). Lee Ingleby is still the star of the show as the cocky young sergeant. He acts Martin Shaw off the screen at times.

"Boom boom a baby .... Banham Zoo .... Banana pants! Hahahaha"

batman

New Tricks. OK but missing James Bolam a lot ... the plot itself was entertaining but the gaping whole left by Bolam's absence had a detrimental effect on the banter between the characters. Come back Jack!

Prior to this I watched a couple of episodes of The Horror of Gene Barry's Trousers ... aka The Adventurer. Terrific high camp 70s nonsense which is also great fun!

"Boom boom a baby .... Banham Zoo .... Banana pants! Hahahaha"

Harleybloke

What can you say? It's just brill!

.....You couldn't hear it, if they were shooting at me with howitzers!

James Fox

This is easily my favorite of the surviving Troughton adventures. I still remember how excited I was when the missing episodes were discovered.

On PBS last night I watched Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes in "The Copper Beeches." Always liked that one.

Harleybloke

Watch it! A classic it ain't. Good?................hmmm.........maybe not but watch it.

Watch it as reminder that most people in this World are decent! Watch it and indulge yourself in that!

.....You couldn't hear it, if they were shooting at me with howitzers!

smudge

For some reason I got nostalgic for Gerry Anderson's SPACE PRECINCT, so watched the first two episodes back to back and then the DVD short documentary. The doco trumpeted the fact that (back in 1993/4) this was the most expensive Sci-Fi series made for TV. Pity that investment wasn't reflected in the authoring of the DVDs, which has the look of viewing the action through a not so fine gauze....

As it arrived yesterday, reawoke ourselves to the utter joy of Tom Sharpe's BLOTT ON THE LANDSCAPE. Just Episode 1, as we intend to watch this across the week. The then relatively unknown (considering his profile after Poirot) David Suchet is just wonderful to watch as the mysterious, anarchic and occasionally sinister Blott, who seems to be always somewhere lurking within the farme, even if he is not the centre of attention.

Total entertainment! Roll on episode 2...

Smudge

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

dpgmel

Watched Michael Winner's excellent and sadly neglected "West 11 ".

IMHO a stunning little film with great perfomances form Alfred Lynch, Eric Portman and Finlay Currie also a young and uncredited David Hemming as a "yob".

The film is also helped by the shots of Notting Hill in the early '60s when it really was bedsit land.

All in all a stunner

Lord Brett

Am I going mad, or does Klaus Kinski show up for a short scene in this film?

dpgmel

Hm, if he does I must have missed him ! Could be one of the partygoers ?

batman

I don't recall the film being mentioned in either of the books I have read about him.

"Boom boom a baby .... Banham Zoo .... Banana pants! Hahahaha"

dremble wedge

Not mixing it up with The Pleasure Girls are you?

Lord Brett

I rather think I am. Either that or I am going mad.